crash

/kɹæʃ/

//kɹæʃ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"crash" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“crash” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,722. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,722
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sudden, intense, loud sound, as made for example by cymbals.

Corpus desk

Index EN-crash · crash · English

crash · rank #2,722 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,722
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH concert

Nearest frequency peer: concert (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “crash”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “crash” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

crash vs CRS
0% similar
crash vs cray
60% similar
crash vs Cris
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for crash
PropertyValue
Headwordcrash
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɹæʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,722
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “crash” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). crash lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around crash (IPA /kɹæʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,722 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for crash, with forms such as "carsh", "ccrash", and "crahs". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CRS", "cray", "Cris", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English crasshen, crasschen, craschen (“to break into pieces”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a variant of earlier *crasken, from crasen (“to break”) + -k (formative suffix); or from earlier *craskien, *craksien, a variant of craken (“to cra… The correct English form is crash, spelled C-R-A-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sudden, intense, loud sound, as made for example by cymbals.
  2. 2
    An automobile, airplane, or other vehicle accident.
  3. 3
    A malfunction of computer software or hardware which causes it to shut down or become partially or totally inoperable.
  4. 4
    A sudden large decline of business or the prices of stocks (especially one that causes additional failures).
  5. 5
    A comedown from a drug.
  6. 6
    A group of rhinoceroses.
  7. 7
    A sudden decline in any living form's population levels, often leading to extinction.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how crash appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The piece ended in a crescendo, building up to a crash of cymbals.
  2. After the lightning came the crash of thunder.

Etymology

From Middle English crasshen, crasschen, craschen (“to break into pieces”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a variant of earlier *crasken, from crasen (“to break”) + -k (formative suffix); or from earlier *craskien, *craksien, a variant of craken (“to crack, break open”) (for form development compare break, brask, brash).

This word in other languages

choque(Español)fracas(Français)Krachen(Deutsch)estrondo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • carsh
  • ccrash
  • crahs
  • crashh
  • crassh
  • crrash
  • crsah
  • rcash

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of crash - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

carsh2ccrash1crahs2crashh1crassh1crrash1crsah2rcash2
Edit distance from "crash"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "crash"?
"crash" is spelled C-R-A-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /kɹæʃ/.
What does "crash" mean?
As a noun, "crash" means: A sudden, intense, loud sound, as made for example by cymbals.
What words are commonly confused with "crash"?
"crash" is commonly confused with "CRS", "cray", "Cris". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crash"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crash" is /kɹæʃ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "crash"?
From Middle English crasshen, crasschen, craschen (“to break into pieces”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from a variant of earlier *crasken, from crasen (“to break”) + -k (formative suffix); or from earlier *craskien, *craksien, a variant of crake... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "crash", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

chose#2,719depth#2,725dirty#2,727error#2,731

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

earned8 variantsAmazon8 variantsheaded8 variantssuppose8 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "crash". Here's where to go from here.

  • "crash" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "CRS". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,722 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list